Process for an improved variable position shoe heel



April 8, 1958 M. E. ODOM 2,829,447

PROCESS FOR AN IMPROVED VARIABLE POSITION SHOE HEEL Filed May 21. 1957INVENTOR ire-oi tates PROCESS FUR AN IMPROVED VARIABLE POSITION SHOEHEEL My invention relates to an improved process in the construction ofheels and more particularly it relates to a novel heel construction thatpermits the heel tread to be repositioned without the use of any tool orloosening of any mechanical fastening.

It is an object of this process to provide a novel shoe heel the treador tap of which may be rotated to take better advantage of all of thewearing area of the tap and prevent run-over heels which in turn causesrunover shoes.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the process consists ofnew and novel arrangement and combination of parts to be described, itbeing understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size andminor details of the structure may be made without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantage of the process.

The objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription and references to the accompanying drawing. The constructionchosen for illustration is a heel, round on the bottom and with a roundtop but I wish to point out that it need not be restricted to this shapebut may be made square or square with rounded corners, or oval or any ofthe polygon shapes or in the popular horseshoe shape. The illustrationis of a lady's heel but with proper changes in proportion of the partsit is equally suitable for male footwear.

Fig. 1 is a view of a ladys heel, round at the bottom.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

A hole is made in the center of the bottom of the heel extending upwardin the axial direction of the body 1. The circumference and length ofthe hole depending on the size of the heel. A sleeve 3 of materialcapable of being magnetized and which is magnetized previously (or itmay be magnetized by induction from the piece later described) iscemented in place or if desired to be removable, it may be leftuncemented but fitted snugly enough to hold in place.

This sleeve or insert has a flange 4 the size of the heel bottom and thehole is of such depth as to allow the flange to seat itself squarely onthe heel bottom. This flange is preferably thin so as not toshow muchedge from a side view.

The heel tread or tap 8 is fastened to another flange 6 that is on oneend of a plunger or stem 5. The heel tap is cemented firmly to thisflange but to provide better attachment the stem is allowed to protrudeslightly through the flange; the protruding part is hollowed and thennotched to form short, small spikes or spurs 7 which are driven into theunderside of the tap to strengthen it from being dislodged by sidethrusts. In a larger diameter heel these spurs may be formed by cuttingsmall Vs in the atent O flange at several equally spaced places andbending the points out to form spurs.

The plunger is made of material of high magnetic permeability andretentivity, Alnico in this case but others even better may beavailable. This plunger is magnetized to as great a degree as possible.

The stem is inserted in the sleeve until the two flanges come smoothlytogether and are there held by magnetic attraction between the twoflanges and between the stem and walls of the sleeve; the polarity beingpreviously determined and the sleeve and stem being mutually arranged sothat the two attract and provide a magnetic grip that holds the tapagainst the heel proper. The stem prevents it from being kicked ofl andthe only Way it may be detached is by a straight downward pull.

The tap may be made larger than the heel bottom to allow a shoemaker tostock spares and trim them to fit and again the flange to which the tapis attached may be made smaller than the finished heel and imbedded inthe tap just the amount of its own thickness in order that its edge willnot show from a side view.

The flange on the plunger serves to provide a better magnetic grip andalso as a cover for the tucked in bits of leather or clothor othermaterial that a heel may be covered with.

Detents may be provided by punching small indentations in one flange andmatching ones in the reverse direction in the other if the wearerdesires a tap less easy to turn. The plunger stem may be hollow orhollow and packed with magnetic material or solid as previouslydescribed.

The polygon shaped heels may have their sleeve and plunger stem alsolikewise shaped for their full length or only part of their full lengthand re-positioned by withdrawing it entirely or partly and turning itone flat or more and reinserting. The oval one would be turned 180 andre-inserted and the horseshoe shaped one would be withdrawn, discarded,and another, identical or compatible (another color may be provided)inserted.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a shoe heel having a centrally located holeextending from the bottom upward in the axial direction, a rotatableheel device comprising a magnetic sleeve adapted to be inserted firmlyin said hole, said sleeve having a flange formed at a angle with thesleeve proper to fit squarely against the bottom of the heel; a magneticstem adapted to be inserted in said sleeve, said stem having a flangeformed at a 90 angle with the stem proper whereby upon insertion theflange of said stem rests against the flange of the said sleeve, thesaid stem protruding slightly thru its flange, the protrusion beinghollowed out and notched to form small spurs to retain a heel tap.

2. A rotary heel device for use with a shoe heel having a centrallylocated hole in the bottom thereof, comprising a magnetized sleeve insaidhole and having an annular flange abutting the bottom of the shoeheel; a magnetic stem adapted to be inserted in said sleeve, said stemhaving an annular flange adapted to fit against the flange of saidsleeve upon insertion, said stem having a slight protrusion thru itsflange, said protrusion being hollowed and notched to form small heeltap retaining spurs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

